STATE MOURNING | For the Censorial Funeral of M. Minucius Audens

[[Message from the Consul]] It is with great sadness that I call the attention of all citizens and friends of Nova Roma that we observe today the first day of the three-day long state mourning for our esteemed M. Minucius Audens.

The three days of state mourning were declared Dies Nefasti Publici (NP), and, according to the Decretum Pontificum de Diebus III.A., no official state business, no judicial procedure, no comitia shall be held, no edicts shall be issued on these days.

I call you to pray for M. Minucius Audens (JAMES MATTHEWS) and to remember him today, and especially tomorrow when his Nova Roman funeral will be held, and the day after tomorrow. He has received the honor of FUNUS CENSORIUM, the highest possible award for a deceased citizen, and he received this hight honor despite not having been censor. This distinction is given only to the best and greatest.

If you feel so, please share your memories and prayers with the public of Nova Roma.

His long and constant services will not be forgotten, neither his dedication and friendship to many of NR citizens and friends.

Tomorrow the funus censorium ritual will be held by pontifex Lentulus and by me in the name of the people of NR. The Ludi Minucii will be held after the state mourning, within one month, but real life gladiatorial games will be held tomorrow (11 May) at his live Nova Roman state funeral which I will attend.

I ask all citizens and friends of Nova Roma to honor the memory and and pray for M. Minucius Audens and for his family.

Below you can find the Senatus Consultum about the Censorial State Funeral awarded to our M. Minucius Audens.

I. It was with great sadness that the Nova Roman senate learned of the death of consular senator M. Minucius Audens, one of the founding generation and first citizens of Nova Roma. The Republic is in grief, and the senate is mourning the loss of their fellow senator, a friend to many, the illustrious M. Minucius Audens. Our respected old M. Audens was one of the greatest Nova Romans in our res publica, a true Roman and a wonderful man beloved by the citizenry. All members of the senate extend their sincere and deeply felt condolences to the family and friends of senator M. Minucius Audens, and to the entire citizenry of Nova Roma, for the loss of our excellent fellow citizen. His loss is felt even more tragically as he departed from us in the Year of the 20th Anniversary of Nova Roma, the Sacred Year of Concordia, while we were celebrating Nova Roma all year long with the greatest enthusiasm, pride and happiness. His ascension to our ancestors in that special year made the Nova Roman People even sadder, although, at the same time, the senate and the People feel blessed that we could have the our great father M. Audens with us throughout it this sacred 20th Anniversary Year and he could remain with us almost until the end of the celebrations.

II. In order to honor the memory of the late illustrious M. Minucius Audens, to express gratitude for his many great contributions to Nova Roma, for his 20 years of dedication to our commonwealth, and to pay homage to the greatness of his character and importance for Nova Roman history, the senate is hereby awarding and declaring an exceptional funus censorium state funeral as an extraordinary award, which was a privilege of former censores, although M. Minucius Audens has never been a censor. This highest honor was given only to the very greatest and most special of Romans by our ancestors. Further, the senate also authorizes a donation of an unspecified amount of dollars to the family of M. Minucius Audens toward the costs of the funeral in the name of the Nova Roman People, the Quirites. This unspecified donation shall count as if it were given from the Treasury of Nova Roma, but due to the current problems, this unspecified amount of money shall be raised by a fundraising managed by our consules. Recognizing that the actual funeral arranged by the family has been already held a. d. V Id. Mai. (11 May), this funus censorium serves as our separate funerary tribute but also supports the actual funeral financially.

III. The funus censorium of M. Minucius Audens shall take place in a form of a funerary ritual and sacrifice conducted by one or both of the consuls, based on their agreement. The volunteering consul has the usual authorization to request one of the pontifices to perform the ritual in his place.

IV. The funus censorium ritual shall take place on the date appointed by the volunteering consul, and published in a consular edict on the funus censorium of M. Audens. Before issuing the edict, the consul shall obtain an approval for the chosen day from a pontifex and an augur because of the calendrical complications of Roman religion. If the consul chooses to perform the ritual through the person of a pontifex, he has to arrange the date with the officiating pontifex before publishing the edict.

V. The senate, to further honor the memory of M. Minucius Audens, hereby officially declares a state mourning for the funeral of M. Minucius Audens, which shall take place beginning from the day which precedes the funus censorium ritual, and shall last three days.

VI. These three days are declared Dies Nefasti Publici (NP), and, according to the Decretum Pontificum de Diebus III.A., no official state business, no judicial procedure, no comitia shall be held, no edicts shall be issued on these days.

VII. During this state mourning period, the main page of the Nova Roma website shall show nothing else but a tribute to M. Minucius Audens, his mourning portrait, black flags and similar symbols of grief, and other main portal pages of the website shall contain a black flag and reference to the mourning for M. Minucius Audens.

VIII. On each day of the state mourning period, the consuls shall take care that there be a daily public message on the official fora of Nova Roma calling the citizens’ attention to the mourning and asking for prayers for M. Minucius Audens.

IX. The senate also instructs all aediles (curule and plebeian) collegially as a body to hold public funerary games in honor and in memory of M. Minucius Audens no later than within one month after the funus censorium. The memorial funerary games shall be called Ludi Minucii (Minucian Games) and shall include virtual munera gladiatoria and a biography contest about the life and Roman activities of M. Audens. The rest of the programs, including the length of the games, is at the discretion of the curule and plebeian aediles, but they shall not exceed 5 days.